Update 33: New Jersey, Delaware, Philly September 29 to October 5
May's Landing ranks as a very small town. We aren't even sure we ever found downtown May's Landing. The RV Park was not in the best shape even though it was one of the NASCAR group. However it made a great base camp for exploring the area. The rains from the last few days continued including the thunder and lightning.
The rain had stopped as we set off for the shores of Delaware. We decided to follow Delaware route 9 along the coast. The highway drove through the little town of Woodland. Scarecrows decorate many businesses and homes. We photographed many of them. Here are a few to enjoy.
Suddenly the road is barricaded with bright orange detour signs. We rattle over a very questionable bridge and return to the main road. Then we see why the detour was needed. The street and bridge had been flooded.
When we found a road to Woodland Beach we followed it. The wind was blowing cold but we walked out to the end of the dock.
We tried a couple of times to find Rt. 9 and were turned back because of flooding. Just NW of Dover the road was open and allowed us to visit the Bombay Hook Refuge. Although many species of birds and critters call this home, we only saw a few of the common ducks. An eagle flew low over our car and that made our day.
Driving through the back roads signs of fall show in the cornfields and the autumn grasses in a field.
We stopped by Dover to see the capital of Delaware. The entire government complex includes blocks of beautiful brick buildings. 
From Dover we headed toward the beaches. A wide divided road brings visitors into the Rehoboth Beach commercial area. 
The road turns at the boardwalk and heads back out. Tourist shops line the street. We noticed that some of the same shops are on both sides of the street. We saw two and three locations for the same store. A large open arcade entertained the kids. Several restaurants and many snack shops could satisfy any visitors hunger.
The beach invited us down to the water's edge. This would be a great place to spend some time in the sun. The population of Rehoboth Beach covers more area than we expected and can accommodate a large number of tourists. I would imagine this resort town explores with people in the summer.
As we took a look at Dewey Beach the sun began to sink into the horizon. Then we headed for Lewes, DE.
A ferry connects Lewes DE to Cape May, NJ. We arrived in time to take the last ferry of the night. The ticket taker collected $36 for car/driver and $10/passenger. So for $66 we got a short cut home. The crossing took 75 minutes of rolling across the rough seas where the Delaware Intracoastal Waterway meets the Atlantic Ocean. Winds may have been between 60-70 mph.
The next day we explored the Jersey Shore. Just NW of Cape May we found Sunset Beach. Bikes, bikes, and more bikes traveled the road to the beach. Small pieces of quartz can be collected and polished to shine. They are called Cape May Diamonds.
Part of a sunken ship, the Atlantis, sticks out of the surf. A great gift shop was fun to explore. Lots of people were enjoying the sunny day.
Next we went to Cape May State Park. A lighthouse is open for visitors, but we passed on the climb and headed for the beach.
At first we wondered what the mob of people were doing looking up and pointing. Then we saw the binoculars and realized it was a bird watching group. We climbed the stairs to the beach access. A lovely large beach stretched out in front of us. 
We could see a 1942 bunker from an old fort down the beach a ways. The reader board told us that when constructed this building sat 900 feet from the water's edge. With yearly erosion, the old structure now sits next to the water.
The Cape May Octoberfest celebration happened to be the weekend we were there. We checked out the vendors on a street of fabulous Victorian homes. One of the vendors sold cigars, so I had lots of trouble on this street.
The brick main street in Cape May forms a large pedestrian mall. We checked out a few of those shops too. Then we drove by the beach, a wonderful expanse of white sand below a concrete boardwalk. 
Lovely, large homes overlook the boardwalk and the Atlantic. Cape May still had a crowd of people on this October day.
From here north a variety of communities spread out along the strands of sand that found a string of islands. We crossed the salt marshes on series of bridges and drove along the strand. South Wildwood, Wildwood and North Wildwood looked empty compared to Cape May. 
Beautiful homes filled South Wildwood. The beach looked like the one at Cape May. Wildwood looked like the setting for a Hollywood "B" movie. Old motels with architecture and old names (like Pink Flamingo and Beach Terrace) hinted at how long this has been a resort destination. An old amusement park filled part of downtown. This overloaded roof caught our eyes. We stopped at a McDonald's with a sign on the door that tomorrow this restaurant would close for the season. Many other businesses had already closed for the season.
We continued north through some other small resort towns on our way to Atlantic City.
Atlantic City rates as another disappointment. The actual city looks like a ghetto. 
Buildings stand in a state of bad disrepair. The city is dirty and yells poverty. Boarded up buildings and broken chain link fencing abut the fancy casinos that resemble relics from a glory day of yesteryear. 
We saw the big name casinos and walked on the boardwalk. The beach is beyond a fairly high dune ridge. 
The part of the boardwalk we saw looked nothing like the picture in my tour book. It is apparent that the millions of dollars generated by the casinos don't contribute to the infrastructure of the city. There is no comparison to the beauty of the Foxwood Casino and the decay of Atlantic City. Gamblers probably go to the casinos and never come out into the community. 
We sighted a tour bus parking lot that shows lots of people are still traveling to Atlantic City. We headed home from here.
We did Philadelphia from May's Landing because it was closer than doing it from Lancaster. The parking structure next to the visitor's center worked well for us. The double-decker bus tour started from the corner. Sebastian gave us a knowledgeable tour. The sunny but blustery day had us pulling our hoods and coats around us to keep warm.
We drove by Elfreth's Alley, the country's oldest residential street, and Betsy Ross House. Sebastian showed a plaque of someone who probably designed the first flag. Betsy may have or have not made the flag. Her relatives began the story about 100 years after the fact. Hmmm ! We saw the U.S. mint and the Chinese district gate.
The Philadelphia city hall is beautiful!
The Love Park fountain displays pink water in honor of Breast Cancer Month.
Sebastian pointed out the many museums as they came into view. The Cathedral Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul stood as an impressive structure.
A Polish parade group gathered as we passed by on our tour.
The Philadelphia Museum of Art stood high on a hill in Fairmount Park. 
The points on the animals around the edges are lightening rods.
A sculpture of an electric plug sits across from the back of the museum.
Across from the Art Museum entry, Washington sits proudly on his horse with fountains at each end of his island memorial. 
The Discovery Museum for the kids, called Please Touch Me, in a lovely old structure out by the zoo.
A drive by Independence Square took us to Penn's Landing and the wharf. Across the river in New Jersey the Campbell Soup company sits by the water. The inventor of Campbell soup called Camden NJ home. The battleship New Jersey sits in moorage just down from the Campbell Soup factory.
Following the bus tour we went through the Liberty Bell exhibit.
Across the street we went into Carpenter's Hall.Some items used by the continental congress are housed here. A history of the hall's part in the making of our country is told inside.
Independence Hall is under renovation and covered with scaffolding. So I took this poster photo of what it looks like. Free tickets allow visitors to enter Independence Hall. Of course bags are searched before access is allowed. 
Small groups go into the hall together. Larry, our ranger gave us a great summary to the process the forefathers went through to create our country. He mentioned that the men from the 13 colonies resembled aliens to each other. Each colony had different customs, and different money. Money from one colony couldn't be used in a different colony. The men met in July...HOT weather. They kept the windows closed and heavy drapes pulled to minimize distractions to the process.
We saw the room where they actually signing took place. I am continually amazed at the forethought, creativity and dedication of the men who created our country's beginning documents. It really focuses your thoughts on what it means to be an American. After our visit to Independence Square, we went home.
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